Blessings are a special kind of prayer and a very common part of Jewish life. We are called to recite scripted blessings over particular foods, occasions, and experiences. In America, the word blessings is also used more generally, using the word to describe the things in our life that we appreciate.
According to Talmudic tradition, each Jew is invited to recite a hundred blessings every day. Menachot 43b instructs that each one of us is obligated to recite 100 blessings each day. Nurturing this gratitude practice is a central tenet of my happiness. I clearly remember learning this text as a teen at Kutz camp, and immediately taking that advice very seriously. My gratitude practice has grown much stronger as the decades have passed, and it is an enormous source of strength.
Practice Identifying and Articulating 100 Blessings
When my kids can’t fall asleep, I tell them to come up with list of 100 blessings in the place where folks may have classically counted sheep. Sometimes they will be reluctant, so I’ll offer 10 and they’ll offer 10…but it is a practice that reliably concludes in a calmer, happier, sleepier child.
Anticipatory Set
One fun way to introduce this song is to gather 100 post-it notes and then distribute them amongst your students so they can each write a single blessing in their lives on each note, and then stick the whole collection of 100 as a prominent display and inspiration.
Dr. Emily Aronoff
